Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-11-02
LIKE A BRooDINe BUDDHA,"

Sits the Newspaper Boss" Says Hewitt,
and :" Must BE Suppressed
NEW YORK, Nov 2-AIayor Hewitt has
written letter IN reply to an invitation to
attend a Democratic ratification meeting, in
which he declines to take an active part in
the campaign for reasons he believes would
be satisfactory to his ellow-citizens, but has
no objections to stating his position as citi-
zen He then says that since 1876 the days
Of the political boss have been numbered and
his methods repudiated until now he has
almost ceased to exist At any rate Mr.
Hewitt has seen nothing Of him, and il he
was In the field he would no doubt have
shown himself in the may ors Office. He then
proceeds:
aBut have encountered another and new
kind of boss, who has given me a great deal
of unsought advice and a large amount of
unnecessary bulldozing. l refer to the news
paper boss. Sitting in his editorial sanctum,
like brooding Buddha, he does not hesitate
to claim omniscence and to endow himself
with omnipotence. The political boss was
responsible only to his party; the newspaper
boss is responsible to his own pocket He is
as dangerous as he is despotic. He must be
suppressed. Otherwise parties, upon the
heelthfui existence Of which free government
depends, will be destroyed and the voters
will be compelled to choose between news
paper tickets instead Of party nominations
Mr.. Hewitt then refers to the nomination
of Delaney Nicoll, "a Democrat, for district
attorney, as having been demanded by Ger
tain newspapers, which are eithsr not the
organs of the Democratic party, or are dis
tfsxnt lx,r TO ito
at first reluctant, finally succumbed to the
gross adulation with which his advocacy
was accompanied The Republicans who,
in my own case, refused to indorse a Demo
cratic candidate, were prompt enough
to seize the opportunity to To-
ment discord in the ranks of their oppo-
nents by the nomination of two Democrats,
thus making the humiliating confession that
they have no men in their own party who
have the courage and ability to effect re-
form, promote Justice and punish crime.
He then declares that "the Nicoll movement
Is In its inception a newspaper advertising
dodge, and in Its conclusion a disgraceful
stratagem Of the Republican managers to
dsmoralize the Democratic party, in the hope
that the confusion thus produced will deter
mine the presidential contest of 1888 in favor
OF the politicians who were driven from
power in 1884 by the election of Grover
Cleveland The scheme is ingenious, but it
is based upon the mistaken idea that the peo-
pie are fools"
But, be says, thereis national issue under
all this, and charges the Republicans with
plotting to obtain control again of the vast
fund in the national treasury, which they
have thwarted the Democratic administra-
ton in its efforts TO reduce by reduction of
taxation and tariff reform, and declares that
defeat of the Democracy in this city and
state will be a long step toward Republican
success. He closes as follows: "There is no
safety except by the continuance in power of
the Democratic administration, which has
proved its fitness by rigid economy, by a
stern enforcement OF the law, and by the
prompt punishment of crime. As now con-